Opportunities for Munjoy Hill
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University of Southern Maine USM Digital Commons Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 2013 Opportunities for Munjoy Hill Anne-Michelle Arless University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/muskie_capstones Part of the Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, and the Social Welfare Commons Recommended Citation Arless, Anne-Michelle, "Opportunities for Munjoy Hill" (2013). Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations. 10. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/muskie_capstones/10 This Capstone is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at USM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Opportunities for Munjoy Hill Anne-Michelle Arless Muskie School of Public Service Health Policy & Management Spring 2013 Capstone Advisor: Elise Bolda Executive Summary With the increasing numbers of older adults due to the aging of the baby boomer generation (born between 1946 - 1964), there will be growing numbers of older adults who wish to remain in their homes as they grow old (Maine State Planning Office, 2010). To address this growing need, Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Organization (MHNO), a neighborhood-based non-profit, has developed a new volunteer-based program. This program is reaching out to older residents who could benefit from the assistance of others with a number of daily activities. At Home on Munjoy (AHOM) is a volunteer-lead group of Munjoy Hill residents who have united to form “circles of friends”, to connect those within the community in need with those in the community who can offer a helping hand. Implementing a volunteer-based program to aid older adults as they age within their own homes can create a set of needs and priorities. For example, the magnitude of unmet needs may pose a challenge as the program is being established. This project focused on the start-up and implementation processes as defined by the strategic plan for AHOM program. The AHOM working group identified five needs and priorities for developing their volunteer-based initiative: • Identifying funding and resources; • Developing a communication strategy; • Recruiting and retaining volunteers; • Managing and scheduling volunteers and • Supervising and training volunteers. 2 A number of resources, suggestions and examples with highlights of how others have addressed similar needs and priorities are provided, which include: • Literature review o Aging of the population o Needs of older adults o Healthy community o What does it take to keep an elder at home? o Challenges faced by older adults who want to age at home o Opportunities on Munjoy Hill • Research & Development Process o Identifying Priorities o Information Gathering Search Activities • Needs #1 to #5 consisting of the following subsections: o Description o Examples of success o Lessons learned from others o Recommendations • Conclusion Details and recommendations for implementing possible solutions are in the full report and technical appendices. This resource summary has the potential to help inform 3 the working group and further assist AHOM as they develop their positive representation support systems of their community. 4 Tables of Contents Problem Statement………….………….………….………….………….………….…………............ 6 Purpose & Goal………….………….………….………….………….………….………….………….... 6 Literature Review………….………….………….………….………….………….………….………...7 Aging of the Population………….………….………….………….………….…………......7 Needs of Older Adults………….………….………….………….………….…………..........8 Healthy Community………….………….………….………….………….………….…….... 8 What Does it Take to Keep an Elder at Home?………….………….………….……9 Challenges Faced by Older Adults Who Want to Age at Home........................ 10 Opportunities on Munjoy Hill………….………….………….………….………….…….. 11 Research & Development Process……….………….………….………….………….…………. 11 Identifying Priorities……….…………….…………….…………….…………….………... 11 Information Gathering Search Activities….…………….…………….……………... 11 Need #1: Funding and Resources.………….………….………….………….………….……….. 12 Description………….………….………….………….………….………….………….……..... 12 Examples of Success Elsewhere: Partnering………………….………….………….. 12 Examples of Community Success in Maine……….…………….…………….…….... 13 Lessons Learned From Others: Partnering….………….……….………….……..... 14 Recommendations………….………….………….………….………….………….………... 15 Need #2: Communication Strategy………….………….………….………….………….……... 17 Description………….………….………….………….………….………….………….……..... 17 Examples of Success: Communication………….………….………….………….……. 17 Examples of Local Communication Success……….…………….…………….…... 19 Lessons Learned From Others………….……….………….………….………….……... 20 Recommendations………….………….………….………….………….………….………... 21 Need #3: Retaining Volunteers………….………….………….………….………….………….... 24 Description………….………….………….………….………….………….………….……….. 24 Examples of Success: Satisfying Volunteers………….………….………….……….. 25 Lessons Learned From Others………….………….……….………….………….……... 31 Recommendations………….………….………….………….………….………….………... 28 Need #4: Volunteer Scheduling………….………….………….………….………….…………... 30 Description………….………….………….………….………….………….………….……….. 30 Local Success in Volunteer Scheduling………….………….………….………….…... 30 Lessons Learned From Others………………….………….………….………….……... 31 Recommendations………….………….………….………….………….………….………... 32 Scheduling Software Programs Table………….………….………….…..... 33 Need #5: Volunteer Supervision & Training………….………….………….…………......... 34 Description………….………….………….………….………….………….………….……….. 34 Examples of Success Elsewhere………….………….………….………….………….…. 34 Examples of Local Success: Supervision………….………….……………….……….. 35 Lessons Learned From Others………….……….………….………….………….……... 36 Recommendations………….………….………….………….………….………….………… 37 Conclusion………….………….………….………….………….………….………….………….………. 39 References………….………….………….………….………….………….………….………….………. 41 Appendix………….………….………….………….………….………….………….………….………… 44 4 Problem Statement Non-profit organizations function for the betterment of society, mostly driven by a passion of a person or a group of people. Non-profits, especially volunteer programs, possess needs, particularly with regard to their sustainability. Needs in planning and organizing volunteer programs have been identified by Lynch (2009). Examples of these needs include fundraising, getting the word out and volunteer development. Purpose & Goal This capstone helped AHOM identify implementation priorities and potential needs, and provided resources, examples and wisdom from others to help inform solutions for development and implementation of volunteer support in their community. 5 Literature Review National and local demographic trends in the aging of the population suggest that the proportion of Munjoy Hill residents over the age of 65 will increase in coming years largely due to the aging of neighborhood baby boomers. In the year 2021, the first of the baby boomers who were born between 1946 and 1964, will reach age 75 (Maine State Planning Office, 2010). The anticipated growth in the number of older individuals aging living on Munjoy Hill create an opportunity for the community to develop supports to make theirs a more aging-friendly place for all members of the neighborhood. Aging of the Population Maine is considered to be the “oldest” state in the nation with seniors aged 65+ making up 16% of the states’ population, and Maine has a median age of 42.7 (Maine State Planning Office, 2010). Maine also has the second-smallest percentage of its population under 18 and has very low rates of in-migration by young families (Maine State Planning Office, 2010). As a result, Maine has an intensified aging population and is experiencing a slower rate of population expansion than most other states. Maine’s older population is also expected to increase at more than twice the rate of the state’s overall population over the next twenty years. This is exacerbated by in-migration since Maine is known to be a state that appeals to retirees (Maine State Planning Office, 2010). Maine is also a state where seniors live in poverty at rates higher than the national average. Many seniors are struggling to pay medical bills, purchase prescription drugs, heat their homes, and keep food on the table within their fixed income (Maine State Planning Office, 2010). 6 Needs of Older Adults When compared to the rest of the population, those aged 65+ are more likely: - To develop an illness or disability - To live on a fixed income and - To lack the resources for transportation. At the same time, older people are a valuable resource and often have time to help others who require a helping hand or other assistance. Recognizing that everyone deserves the feeling of being included and wanted within a community, AHOM’s new volunteer program offers value to older adults of all levels of need. Simply having someone call to make sure that a neighbor has taken their pills or going for a nice walk around the neighborhood can have a positive impact on both the volunteer caregiver and on the volunteer recipient (Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2010). Healthy Community A healthy community for older adults is one that encourages independent living and promotes social connectedness. It offers a variety of resources such as transportation options and a range of opportunities for socialization, recreation